"Specter … Specter ship!"
The sky cleared up after the rain. The sailors behind Viktor and Wu Ming, as well as Wade and the others, all let out sharp cries when they saw the ship.
"Lower the lifeboat, I want to go up and take a look!"
As an old sailor, Viktor could clearly feel that Specter Ship was different. Under the sunlight, it looked like a dilapidated wooden ship. It no longer had the strange fluorescence and terrifying aura of the storm.
"Hurry up! Don't dilly-dally! " He yelled, "As a navigator, it's a great honor to be able to explore the Specter in person!"
It was obvious that this captain was very courageous, even ignoring the objections of the crew and making a decision on his own.
"If that's the case, how about I go with you?"
Wu Ming, who was at the side, smiled and gave a suggestion, "I am also very interested in this kind of ship!"
"This … Alright!"
After meeting Wu Ming's unfathomable gaze, Viktor hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
"Steven, are you crazy?"
Alice stood on the deck, her expression conflicted, "If anything happens to you …"
"This is an adventure! Do you know what an adventure is? "
What surprised Wu Ming was that Wade put on a life jacket and boarded the lifeboat as well, "Specter Ship on the sea. This will definitely be something I can brag about for the rest of my life!"
"Really …"
Wu Ming smiled bitterly and shook his head. He knew that Wade only dared to come down because of him, and he could not help but nod inwardly.
Although this fellow's character and willpower were not that great, he still had some spirit of brotherhood. It wouldn't hurt to help him in the future.
"Alright, the two of us and a few sailors should be enough. Alice, can you help me take care of Angelina?"
Wu Ming stared into Alice's eyes, making it impossible for her to refuse.
"Alright, alright! Based on my years of sailing experience, a ghost ship that can float under the sun is not too dangerous … "
Victor clapped his hands and slowly approached the Specter Ship with Wu Ming, each holding an oar.
The huge three-masted sailboat quietly stopped on the surface of the sea. The wooden planks around it were rotten, and there was a foul stench.
"Be careful!"
On the yacht, the third mate was about to grab a plank and jump onto the yacht. Suddenly, there was a cracking sound. The plank was pulled off by him, and he fell into the sea in astonishment.
The seawater in the early morning was still very cold. This guy was immediately rescued back to the lifeboat while shivering. Obviously, he would not be able to participate in the following exploration.
"Be careful, the wood of this sailboat is already very rotten …"
Victor had a pipe in his mouth as he looked at the sailboat with nostalgia in his eyes. "I suspect that it would only take a wave to make it fall apart. Such an old ship is very rare …"
Wu Ming carefully hooked a sturdy mast with a grappling hook. Victor was the first to climb up.
"This floor … It makes me feel a little uneasy!"
Wu Ming immediately followed. Weidi was the last. He stepped on the deck of the three-masted sailboat, and his face was covered in cold sweat.
The wooden planks had become very soft after years of disrepair, and after being soaked in seawater. Although it felt very comfortable to step on, Wu Ming suspected that if he used too much force, he would directly stomp a hole in the deck.
"Don't worry too much, the keel of this ship is quite sturdy …"
Victor carefully sized up the ship, and a trace of doubt appeared on his face. "She is stronger than I thought. Is it because of the spirits?"
* Crack! *
At this point, he no longer hesitated, and directly opened the cabin door and entered the cabin.
The gas searchlights shone brightly, and a foul stench wafted over. The floor was wet, and there were even some seaweed and shellfish crawling on it. It was filled with a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere.
"Gulp! Gulp! "
Viktor casually pulled open a door, and the entire door broke into pieces. Shortly after, a few white skeletons fell to the ground, and the empty skulls spun on the ground, causing Viktor to let out a shrill scream.
"This should be the crew's lounge. I don't know what happened to make them all die here, but it seems like they didn't even struggle …"
Victor looked at this scene, and his expression became solemn.
He and Wu Ming looked at each other, and walked towards the best position in the cabin at the same time. That was the captain's personal space.
* Bang! *
The wooden door was directly split open, revealing a somewhat old cabin.
In the Age of Discovery, due to the limited space on a ship, they had to make full use of it to carry more goods. Having an independent cabin was definitely a proof of identity on a ship!
Victor's sinister eyes immediately stared at the desk. Wu Ming was standing there, and had already taken out a thick black logbook.
This book had obviously been treated to prevent moisture and mothballs. Even after an unknown amount of time, it was still barely readable.
"Logbook? Captain's diary? "
Victor curled his lips and showed a somewhat sarcastic smile. "Mr. Steven, do you think it is still the Age of One Piece? Those captains would find a deserted island to bury their personal treasures and leave a map behind?"
After entering the industrial era, this inefficient method had long been abandoned.
The captains' personal wealth was either directly stored in the bank, designated as heirs, or squandered long ago, or bought stocks, funds, and other hedging products. How could there be anything left?
As for the more important private routes, after the Great Geographical Discovery, even the world map was drawn. Perhaps some of the routes recorded by the deceased captain were invaluable at that time, but now they must have been filled with merchant ships!
He was somewhat interested in this captain's collection.
Although some of the luxury items had already rotted, the gold and silver items would not rot.
"According to international practice, all discoveries in the high seas belong to the explorers … Mr. Steven, Mr. Weidi, since you participated in this expedition, you can also get a share!"
Captain Victor said with a smile, ignoring the second mate's expression.
After estimating the value of these "legacies," he gave up the idea of taking it all for himself. After all, there were not many valuable things on this ghost ship, and it was not worth the risk.
When Wu Ming and others hired him, his name and ship had already been registered. For such a small amount of wealth, he would become a pirate? Especially after messing with such a group of second-generation people who seemed to have a strong background?
Many years of life experience made Captain Victor immediately give up this idea.
"We also get a share?!"
Weidi's eyes lit up, and he cheered.
He did not care about how much he could earn, but he thought that he could get a certain "proof" of an expedition from here, which could be used as a bragging and collection capital in the future. It was a very honorable thing.
"I'm already very happy to participate in this expedition. I don't ask for anything in return …"
Wu Ming smiled, but what he said made Captain Victor's face change. "But … why do you want to auction these things? How about giving them away? "
"What do you mean?"
Before Victor could say anything, the burly second mate beside him jumped out and shouted.
"Captain, do you recognize the origin of this ship?"
Wu Ming did not answer, but looked directly at Victor.
"If I'm not wrong, this should be a very active slave transport ship at that time. Of course, as long as it sank in the high seas, it would become something without a master!"
Victor displayed the extraordinary foresight and accomplishments of a captain.
"Indeed, this is a slave transport ship, and it's the famous Hawke's Mountain at that time!"
Wu Ming patted the log in his hand.
"Hawke's Mountain?! Hawk … Hawk family! "
Victor exclaimed, "That big merchant group in the kingdom's navigation and shipbuilding industry?!"
"Hmph, even so, would they dare to break the law to cause trouble?"
Weidi and the second mate both showed such intentions, but Victor was silent.
"The most valuable things here are the treasures in the captain's cabin, which are worth less than ten thousand gold coins!"
With his experience as an appraiser, Wu Ming was very qualified to say this. "But if we return it to the Hawk family, we will gain their friendship. I wonder if Captain Victor is interested in other businesses?"
"Other businesses?"
"Yes! I'm very interested in relics and treasures in the high seas, and I'm going to set up a salvage company! I was hesitating about manpower and channels, but now, everything is solved! "
Wu Ming looked at Victor. "If you agree, I'm willing to let you become my partner. I'll invest one million gold coins in advance!"
"One million?"
The second mate exclaimed. The purchasing power of gold coins in this era was very high, and it was obviously a very shocking amount of wealth. Compared to this, Specter Ship was nothing.
"Ocean Salvage Company?"
Victor rubbed his chin. "Could it be that you have some inside information?"
He strongly suspected that Wu Ming had obtained a map of a certain shipwreck, which was why he had this idea. Otherwise, this kind of salvage company would be like hitting the jackpot, and most of them would lose money.
Wu Ming smiled mysteriously. Of course, he would not say that he only wanted to excavate possible relics in the deep sea, and was already prepared to pay for it.
Of course, he could not say that now.
"I just believe that once we have the friendship and connections of the Hawk family, and if Captain Victor is willing to join us, our business will definitely be a great success!"
Wu Ming emphasized.
"We can talk about this when we get back …"
A trace of hesitation appeared on Victor's face, which turned into a bitter smile. "You're thinking so much at such a young age. I finally know why I've been poor all my life …"
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